Multilayered cushion for mattress and furniture applications

ABSTRACT

A multilayered cushion according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a first layer of a first material, a second layer of the first material, and a third layer of a second material between the first and second layers. The second material is stiffer than the first material.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This disclosure claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/089,531, filed Dec. 9, 2014, the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to a cushion that may be used for mattresses, furniture, or car seats, as examples. Currently, most cushions are made of a single, solid material, which is either molded or cut from a larger block of material to fit a certain size. While foam is used for many applications, the softness and stiffness of foam is not easily changed.

SUMMARY

This disclosure relates to a multilayered cushion. Layers of different materials are arranged to provide desirable Indentation Load Deflection (ILD), stiffness, and/or softness values.

A multilayered cushion according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a first layer of a first material, a second layer of the first material, and a third layer of a second material between the first and second layers. The second material is stiffer than the first material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings can be briefly described as follows:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a sample of a first material.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an example multilayered cushion according to this disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a close-up view of the encircled area in FIG. 1, and illustrates the detail of the first material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure relates to a multilayered cushion for mattresses, furniture, or car seats, as examples. In particular, the cushion may include layers of polyester, polypropylene, fiberglass, polyethylene, foam, or other polymeric fibers. The layers of different materials are arranged such that the ILD, stiffness, and/or softness meets specific values.

ILD is an example measurement for “feel.” The ILD of a material is the amount of pounds (measured as resistant force) required to compress a sample of material to 25% of its original height. In one example, the ILD of 4 inch thick, 15 inch by 15 inch sample is the amount of pounds required to compress the sample to a height of 3 inches. ILD can also be measured as the original height continues to be compressed beyond a 25% reduction.

One example cushion according to this disclosure is formed by separating a first sample 12 of a first material (FIG. 1) and providing a second sample 14 of a second material (FIG. 2) between two layers of the first material. FIG. 1 is a side view of the first sample 12. As shown, the first sample 12 includes an upper surface 16, a lower surface 18, and opposing side surfaces 20, 22. The first sample 12 has an original height H₁ between the upper and lower surfaces 16, 18. In one example, the height H₁ is 4 inches (10.16 cm).

In this example, the density of the first material is between 1.5-3.5 pounds per cubic foot (lb/ft³) (about 36.84-43.25 kg/m³), and in one particular embodiment the density is 2.5 lb/ft³ (40.04 kg/m³). While different types of materials come within the scope of this disclosure, in one particular example the first material is a three-dimensional netted material of a plurality of helically arranged thermoplastic resin filaments, such as a material called Indura Spring™, a product offered for sale by Indratech LLC.

In that example, and with reference to FIG. 3, the first material includes thermoplastic resin filaments 24 partially thermally bonded to at least one of the other thermoplastic resin filaments 24, at locations 26. The thermoplastic resin filaments 24 are helically arranged and are randomly entangled with one another. Again, while FIGS. 1 and 3 show one example first material, other materials come within the scope of this disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows an example cushion 28 from a side view. In this example, the cushion 28 is formed by dividing the first sample 12 at a point 30 (FIG. 1) along its height H₁. In this example, the point 30 is a distance D from the upper surface 16, and in one example is a midpoint substantially between the upper and lower surfaces 16, 18. In one example, where the height H₁ is 4 inches (10.16 cm), the distance D is 2 inches (5.08 cm). This disclosure is not limited to samples having heights H₁ of only 4 inches. Further, this disclosure is not limited to examples where the cushion 28 is formed by “dividing” a single piece of the first material. Two separately formed pieces of the first material could be provided, for example.

The distance D, measured from the upper surface 16, can be referred to as a “depth,” and is also a location where the second sample 14 will be provided in the cushion 28. The depth of the second sample will influence the properties of the cushion, as discussed below. To this end, the distance D can be provided at points 30 other than the midpoint between the upper and lower surfaces 16, 18.

In the example cushion of FIG. 2, the first sample 12 has been divided into a first, upper layer 32 and a second, lower layer 34. The first layer 32 has a height H₂ and the second layer 34 has a height H₃. In this example, because the point 30 was a midpoint of the height H₁, the heights H₂ and H₃ are equal to one another, and are each substantially 2 inches (5.08 cm).

The example cushion 28 includes a third, middle layer 36 provided by the second sample 14 of the second material. The third layer 36 is bonded to the first and second layers 32, 34 by adhesive and/or by tufting. The third layer 36 has a height H₄, which is less than the heights H₂ and H₃ in this example. In one particular example, where the height H₁ is 4 inches, the height H₄ of the second sample 14 is within a range of 0.3-0.7 inches (about 0.76 cm to 1.78 cm). In one particular embodiment, the height H₄ is 0.5 inches. In that same embodiment, the overall cushion height is substantially 4.5 inches (11.43 cm).

In this example, the second material is stiffer than the first material. Further, in one example, the second material has a density within a range of 1.2-6.0 lb/ft³ (about 28.83-35.24 kg/m³). In one particular example the density of the second sample 14 is denser than the first material, and in one example is 3.0 lb/ft³ (32.03 kg/m³). One example of the second sample 14 is PET (polyethylene terephthalate), although other materials come within the scope of this disclosure.

Given the arrangement and combination of materials described above, the resulting cushion 28 feels soft under low pressure, yet firm under high pressure. In particular, the above-described multilayered cushion would have a low ILD when at 25% compression (e.g., height reduced by 25% from the manufactured height), and a high ILD reading at 65% compression. Essentially, the third layer 36, with its increased stiffness, helps distribute the load to the lower layer 34. For example, when single point deflections are applied to the upper layer 32, the upper layer 32 will deform only under the point of contact, which means the amount of force deflected will be low and it will feel soft. But as that single point is pushed down further, the third, middle layer 36 will distribute the load more evenly over the lower layer 34, which means the amount of force deflected would be much higher than if the cushion was completely made of a single material (such as in the example of FIG. 1).

Table 1 shows the results of the cushion 28 based on variable depths D of the third layer 36. As mentioned above, adjusting the depth D will provide the cushion 28 with different properties. Table 1 shows the response to the cushion 28 at different depths D, and specifically shows the ILD at 25% compression as well as the height loss after 10 thousand cycles of pounding. The first row shows the response of a standard 4 inch height sample of the first material without the third layer 36 (i.e., as substantially shown in FIG. 1). The next three rows show the response using sample of the first material having an original height H₁ of substantially 4 inches, and the third layer 36 having a height of H₃ substantially 0.5 inches. When the depth D is 1 inch, for example, the height H₂ is 1 inch and the height H₃ is 3 inches—and vice versa when the depth D is 3 inches.

TABLE 1 ILD at 25% Height Loss Compression after 10k cycles Standard sample of material 36 5.0% Third layer 36 at 1 inch depth (D) 46 3.7% Third layer 36 at 2 inch depth (D) 48 2.6% Third layer 36 at 3 inch depth (D) 44 3.5%

Depending on the particular application, an appropriate depth D can be selected. In other words, the cushion 28 can be “tuned” by adjusting the depth D of the third layer 36 to provide a higher ILD (for firm feel) and/or lower height loss (better resiliency).

It should be understood that terms such as “generally,” “substantially,” and “about” are not intended to be boundaryless terms, and should be interpreted consistent with the way one skilled in the art would interpret those terms. Further, terms such as “upper” and “lower” are used with reference to the orientation of the cushion in the figures, and should not be considered limiting.

The embodiments, examples and alternatives of the preceding paragraphs, the claims, or the description and drawings, including any of their various aspects or respective individual features, may be taken independently or in any combination. Features described in connection with one embodiment are applicable to all embodiments, unless such features are incompatible.

Although the different examples have the specific components shown in the illustrations, embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from one of the examples in combination with features or components from another one of the examples.

One of ordinary skill in this art would understand that the above-described embodiments are exemplary and non-limiting. That is, modifications of this disclosure would come within the scope of the claims. Accordingly, the following claims should be studied to determine their true scope and content. 

1. A multilayered cushion, comprising: a first layer of a first material; a second layer of the first material; a third layer of a second material between the first and second layers, wherein the second material is stiffer than the first material.
 2. The cushion as recited in claim 1, wherein the first material has a greater density that the second material.
 3. The cushion as recited in claim 1, wherein the first material has a density within a range of 1.5-3.5 lb/ft³ and wherein the second material has a density within a range of 1.2-6.0 lb/ft³.
 4. The cushion as recited in claim 4, wherein the second material is denser than the first material.
 5. The cushion as recited in claim 1, wherein the first material is provided by a three-dimensional netted layer of a plurality of helically arranged thermoplastic resin filaments, each of the thermoplastic resin filaments being partially thermally bonded to at least one of the other thermoplastic resin filaments such that the thermoplastic resin filaments are randomly entangled with one another.
 6. The cushion as recited in claim 5, wherein the second material is polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
 7. The cushion as recited in claim 6, wherein the third layer begins at a depth of substantially 2 inches below an upper surface of the first layer.
 8. The cushion as recited in claim 7, wherein the first layer has a height of substantially 2 inches, the second layer has a height of substantially 2 inches, and the third layer has a height of substantially 0.5 inches.
 9. The cushion as recited in claim 6, wherein the third layer begins at a depth of substantially 1 inch below an upper surface of the first layer.
 10. The cushion as recited in claim 9, wherein the first layer has a height of substantially 1 inches, the second layer has a height of substantially 3 inches, and the third layer has a height of substantially 0.5 inches.
 11. The cushion as recited in claim 6, wherein the third layer begins at a depth of substantially 3 inches below an upper surface of the first layer.
 12. The cushion as recited in claim 11, wherein the first layer has a height of substantially 3 inches, the second layer has a height of substantially 1 inches, and the third layer has a height of substantially 0.5 inches.
 13. A multilayered cushion, comprising: a first layer of a first material, wherein the first material is provided by a three-dimensional netted layer of a plurality of helically arranged thermoplastic resin filaments, each of the thermoplastic resin filaments being partially thermally bonded to at least one of the other thermoplastic resin filaments such that the thermoplastic resin filaments are randomly entangled with one another, and wherein the first material has a density within a range of 1.5-3.5 lb/ft³; a second layer of the first material; and a third layer of a second material between the first and second layers, wherein the second material is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and wherein the second material has a density within a range of 1.2-6.0 lb/ft³ and is stiffer than the first material.
 14. The cushion as recited in claim 13, wherein the first material has a density of 2.5 lb/ft³ and wherein the second material has a density of 3.0 lb/ft³.
 15. The cushion as recited in claim 14, wherein the third layer begins at a depth of substantially 2 inches below an upper surface of the first layer.
 16. The cushion as recited in claim 14, wherein the first layer has a height of substantially 2 inches, the second layer has a height of substantially 2 inches, and the third layer has a height of substantially 0.5 inches. 